The
1908 Summer Olympics, officially the
Games of the IV Olympiad, were an
international multi-sport event which was held in 1908 in
London,
England,
United Kingdom. These games were originally scheduled to be held in
Rome, but were re-located on financial grounds following a disastrous eruption of Mt Vesuvius in 1906. They were the fourth chronological modern
Olympic Games in keeping with the now-accepted four-year cycle as opposed to the proposed
Intercalated Games alternate four-year cycle. The
IOC president for these Games was
Baron Pierre de Coubertin. Lasting a total of 187 days, or 6 months and 4 days, these games were the longest in modern Olympics history.